Quick hits: Carp, Marte, Albert, and Loewen

It's partly bad luck. The Cardinals have stumbled upon two extremely hot teams, each hoping to make waves in their respective divisions. I was hoping for a much better start for Mitch Boggs, who wasn't able to control his stuff nor put batters away. As soon as he went 3-2 on three batters in the first inning, I knew something wasn't right.

Here are your Saturday morning quick hits:

Chris Carpenter made his second rehab start last night, going 5.2 innings while allowing 4 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 HBP, and striking out 5. Per Matt Leach at the official site:

Carpenter's next outing will almost certainly come on Wednesday, and the Cardinals have a decision to make. He could get one more rehab start, but the excellent results combined with Mitchell Boggs' struggles could mean that Carpenter's next game will be with the Cardinals in Atlanta.

I'd prefer them to move Carp along as slowly as possible, but if he's feeling in top shape then let him start. I haven't given up on Mitch Boggs, and Jaime Garcia is certainly capable of making another start as well. All in all, good news on the Carp front.

Damaso Marte traded? Yep, along with Xavier Nady to the Yankees. When the Pirates said they needed pitching they were serious. The Yankees traded three pitchers and Jose Tabata, their prized outfielder. That pretty much ends the discussions with Pittsburgh, unless their still willing to move Jack Wilson and/or John Grabow.

What's up with Pujols' power outage? If the Cardinals fall 10 games back, I think it's time to shut him down and get him his surgery:

Pujols entered Thursday with one home run in his past 74 at-bats and four home runs since Memorial Day, an anomaly partly attributable to last month's 15-day stay on the disabled list due to a left calf strain.

I'm not concerned yet, but I'm going to be if we can't win some more games.

Adam Loewen is attempting a Rick Ankiel-style transformation. Apparently, he was a big-time hitter in college. Still, he only has 2 at-bats in the majors. Rick at least showed he was a capable hitter against big league pitching. I'm not sure how this one will go.

Only 5 days 'til the trade deadline. Have any predictions? I'm going to say we get George Sherrill from the O's for Jess Todd, Anthony Reyes, and Tyler Greene. I don't think we get an infielder, unless the Royals take relatively little for Mark Grudzielanek.